#this is a pledge of love between them 😭😭😭

[dutchovensoup]

li wei x hao jia ↬ NEW LIFE BEGINS

[pinkroseblooms]

i just started Bucchigiri and love your stuff!!! 😭 Can you do one for Matakara having a crush on a new transfer girl? She wears the boys uniform and a hoodie over her head so she doesn't get attention. He only finds out cuz she helped treat his wounds after a fight once and it's been their secret ever since

Thank you so much! Hope you like this!

Just Between Us

Matakara/afab!Reader

Summary: Matakara takes it upon himself to befriend the new introverted transfer student and develops a crush, unaware they're both keeping secrets from the other. wc: 2.2k a/n: no warnings, mostly just fluff and a few swear words. reader is afab but I personally written them as being gender fluid. I also headcanon Matakara as bi disaster. Enjoy!

You yawn, barely paying attention as your teacher goes on about something to do with…history? English? Biology? At this point you don’t bother keeping track; no one else does. Usually everyone in your homeroom is openly hooting and hollering over the lecture; on good days, most of the other students are zoned out or passing notes, not even attempting to be sneaky about it.

Speaking of, a folded up card gets flicked on your desk; you look, puzzled at it, and back to your seatmate. On your right is Matakara Asamine, smiling patiently and pointing to the paper.

You roll your eyes but smile back; he has your number, the two of you could easily have a whole conversation over text if you wished to. Still, you open the little piece of paper and read what Matakara scribbled: he’s asking if you want to see a movie after school. You stifle a chuckle and write back an affirmative, deliberately sliding your hand over the surface of his desk; after he reads your answer, Matakara pumps his fist silently in a display of excitement. Your profile is obscured with your hood up and your head turned, so you hope he doesn’t see how wide you’re grinning. 

It’s only been a few months since you transferred to Ichizu and you’re grateful to have made a few decent friends; with the district's reputation, you hadn’t expected to do much in the way of socializing. You weren't particularly street smart or experienced in self defense even: you were one of the few students who fell into the “harmless wallflower” category. There were a handful of kids at school who were like you; they just sort of walked around, didn’t speak much, and were largely ignored by the majority of the school populace as too weak and plain to bother with. 

The Minato Kai and Siguma members mostly kept to themselves, interested in their own rivalry and their own personal circles of friends and acquaintances. Normies like you were mildly entertaining to mess with, and while you did get some teasing and the occasional shove in the hallway, you had sufficiently flown under the radar.

At least, until Matakara Asamine decided he wanted to make you his friend. From the beginning you were surprised, but not especially wary. The general opinion of Matakara was that he was strong and had integrity, two traits that Minato Kai prized; his revered older brother would surely be proud, who you had also heard good things about. With all that in mind, you didn’t hesitate too much when Matakara and his friends asked you to sit with them to eat or tag along to the batting cages. Frankly, you let everyone else do most of the talking; it was fun though. You genuinely enjoyed the company and Matakara shot down any attempts to get you to pledge with their gang. 

“What are we going to see later?” You ask as you take a seat next to Zabu, handing him the manga he had lent you a week prior. “Sorry it took so long, I lost it in the pile.”

“Eh, you can keep that if you want.” Zabu scrunches his nose at the volume, sliding it back towards you. “I’m not into that sappy shit.”

“Huh?” You raise an eyebrow. “Why’d ya buy it?”

“I heard it was supposed to be good, but it was cliche as hell.” Zabu shrugs, jabbing his elbow into Sakegaki’s side; said boy had been reaching his chopsticks into Zabu’s bento to nab a piece of grilled meat. “What movie? Are we going to see a movie?”

“Um-”

“Hey guys!” 

Matakara almost startles you with how loudly his voice booms; he plops down onto the bench next to you. “Sorry, the bread line was crazy today.”

“Figures, it’s half off day. What’d you get?” Zabu asks curiously.

“Yakisoba, here,” Matakara takes one of the sealed baggies of treats and puts one on top of your plate. “I owe you for last time, your favorite is the melon bread, right?”

“Yeah, but you didn’t have to.” You add. “Thanks though.”

“No problem.”

Lunch period comes and goes and you completely forget to ask what movie the four of you are going to see, but it doesn’t bug you much. You don’t really mind if it means you get to sit by Matakara again; the last time you went to the movies with him he had shared a bucket of popcorn with you, whispering into your ear every now and again to comment on something. You spend the rest of the day hoping you’ll be able to sit next to him again, maybe have one of those moments where your hands touch by accident. Zabu doesn’t know what he’s talking about in your humble opinion: if it was up to you, your school life would be one big, romantic comedy cliche, and Matakara would be the male lead.

Except, as things are now with you passing for a boy, you’re pretty sure your role as of now is the quiet friend, the awkward loner adopted by the popular kid. Not a bad deal all things considered, but it makes having a crush something of a pain in the ass. Still, you’ll take some yearning on your end if it means you can continue going through your school days mostly unnoticed and unbothered. The fact of the matter is presenting as a girl is a hassle; even the toughest girls in your class have to deal with being pursued and bugged by obnoxious wannabe casanovas who think they’re the earth’s gift to women. 

So far, you haven’t had any risky encounters: the gender neutral bathroom, dirty and falling apart like everything else in the school, helps avoid your secret getting out and you skip changing for gym because…well, pretty much everyone else does anyway and the teachers don’t care. You can’t see any reason why you shouldn’t keep passing as a boy until graduation; not to mention, the boy’s uniforms are comfier. 

“Where’s the guys?” 

It’s the late afternoon and you’re changed into baggy sweats and battered sneakers; inside your jacket are four packages of candy picked up from the convenience store you’re presently loitering outside of to sneak into the theater. Matakara is late; you’re about to text him when you hear his voice calling out to you. Down the sidewalk, Matakara is running your way, smiling wide and out of uniform; as he reaches you, your eyes widen.

“What the hell? You’re bleeding man.” You step up to him, craning your neck to get a good look at the cut over his eyebrow. “What the hell happened?”

“Ah, one of Siguma’s guys challenged me on my way here.” Matakara raises his fingers to the small gash. “Oh wow, I didn’t realize his kick landed that hard.”

“Matakara, hold on a second.”

“Where are you-?”

You rush into the store; in three minutes you’ve returned with a box of bandages, a small bag of cotton swabs, disinfecting ointment, hand sanitizer, and a bottle of water.

“What’s the water for?”

“Flush out the wound. Some of the blood’s drying.” 

You make Matakare sit down on the wooden bench on the side of the building and lay out the supplies. He watches you silently as you pour some of the clean water onto a swab and begin to carefully wipe off the dried blood, soaking up the bit that’s still oozing. Matakara is obediently still and doesn’t wince as you swipe a few dabs of ointment over the injury after sanitizing your hands properly. 

“You do this a lot?”

“Nope.” You confess, handing him the bottle of water. “Here, have some. It’s always a good idea to drink water. I’m gonna put the bandaid on; can’t believe you didn’t realize you got hit so hard.”

“I was kinda in a rush.” Matakara’s hand dwarfs the plastic bottle; he’s looking down a bit guiltily. “Sorry I was late. I thought it’d be over quicker.”

“Well, the guys are late anyway, so it works out.” You gently smooth the bandage across his eyebrow. “There, it should be fine. Are you sure you don’t feel dizzy or anything? Maybe we should skip the movie.”

“No!” Matakara says, sitting up straight. “I’m totally fine, seriously. Thanks for taking care of me.”

“I should be the one saying that.” You sit next to him with a sigh. “Don’t apologize; I’m lucky you want to hang out with me at all.”

“Of course I do! You’re fun to be around and you’re a good listener and you’re really-” 

Matakara stops talking; he suddenly looks away and takes a sip of water. You stare at him, a bit flattered and a lot confused. Matakara's been acting a little off all day come to think of it.

“Should I text the guys? You told them where we were gonna meet, right?” You check your phone while Matakara finishes the water. “Think they went straight to the theater?”

“Um, actually, Sakegaki and Zabu aren’t coming.” Matakara tells you; he scrunches up the bottle and tosses it cleanly into the recycling bin next to him. “You don’t mind, right?”

“Oh. No, it’s cool.” You’re not lying but now your curiosity has peaked. “Is everything okay with you guys?”

“Yeah, nothing wrong.” Matakara says quickly. “If you want I can call them, if you’re not comfortable with it being just us.”

“Why wouldn't I be?”

“Because…” 

Matakara’s hands are clasped and he’s still looking at the ground; he looks troubled and you feel bad for pushing the issue, whatever it is, but something is definitely wrong. 

“I don’t mean to presume.” Matakara begins slowly, measuring his tone. “It’s none of my business, but I, um, when you got close to me, I kinda felt…your chest.”

You stare at him blankly; Matakara’s cheeks flush and he finally gives you a ‘look’. 

“Oh.” You blink. “Shit. I guess you found me out.”

“So, you were born a girl?”

“Yeah.”

“Why are you…?” Matakara averts his stare. “Wait, sorry, it’s none of my business.”

“No, you’re fine. The thing is, it’s just kind of easier to pass myself off as a guy, ya know?” You pat his shoulder. “So, would you mind keeping it between us? Honestly, I don’t really care if people see me as a guy, girl, whatever, but it would make my life easier if you didn't go telling anyone else.”

“A secret?” Matakara perks up. “Between us?”

“I’d appreciate it.”

“Sure!”

You’re a bit taken aback; you know Matakara’s a nice guy and all, but you didn’t expect him to be this easy going about your charade.

“You can trust me.” Matakara puts a hand over his heart. “I can swear it in blood.”

“No, no more bleeding!” You blanch at the thought. “Dude, it’s not that deep.”

“I know, but it’s just nice.” Matakara rubs the back of his neck; he’s beaming at you, eyes crinkling in the corners, cheeks flushed. “You know, we’re always around other people or you go off on your own; when we are together, you don’t say much…I feel like we haven’t actually gotten a chance to really know each other, so I like we have this thing that’s only for us. Does that sound weird?”

“A little, but I see what you mean.” You tug the strings of your hoodie so it closes more around your face. “If you want, we could do this more.”

“This?”

“Hanging out,” You clarify, voice softer than you mean for it to be. “Just the two of us. If you want.”

“Then, it’s okay I didn’t invite the others? You’re not uncomfortable with it?”

“I probably feel the most comfortable around you, Matakara.”

You chance peeking out and realize you’re screwed: Matakara is leaning over, right in your face, eyes glued to your face and almost shining. He radiates warmth, like he’s trying to make you gravitate closer to his side, unknowingly pulling you toward him.

"Really?"

Actually, it’s more like his hand is placed over yours and he’s moving his face close to yours; for a moment you and Matakara stare at each other mutely. His hand covers yours and you don’t feel uncomfortable but your heart might actually combust inside your ribcage from how tenderly Matakara is gazing at you. 

“Do you really mean it?” Matakara breathes, voice almost like a sigh. “Can we go to the movies now? Just you and me?”

“Uh huh.” You nod dumbly, swallowing the spit you didn’t realize was pooling from glancing at his lips. “I, um, bought candy for everyone, four of them.”

“More for us.” Matakara smiles brightly, standing up; he’s yet to let go of your hand. 

“Works for me.” You don’t try to pull your hand away, allowing Matakara to pretty much lead you down the sidewalk in the direction of the theater. You’ve never seen him act almost childishly eager and his attitude is admittedly infectious. “Let’s share a popcorn bucket, it'll be less expensive.”

“Yeah, we should split a drink too.”

Matakara looks back, and you can’t miss the mischievous glint in his eyes as your cheeks grow hot.

“…I’m gonna have to watch out for you.”

“I don’t mind. In fact,” Matakara is grinning a little too innocently for the look he’s giving you over his shoulder. “You can look at me all you want.”

[desognthinking]

WIP... Wednesday

Tagged by @willowedhepatica  (thanks!) I'm so sorry that this comes so late 😭 life got in the way. Not sure who i can tag who has things in the works they can share, but please Please know if anyone has any snippets or sneak peaks I would love to see them and yell about them with you pleaseee

Not strictly a WIP but here’s just under 3.5k of an oldish experimental AU inspired by this post :’) in this one they’re… *checks notes*, ah, hmm. Chimerical tomb guardians carved from stone.   

-----

It’s a wickedly stormy day when a procession scores up the hill through beating rain and blowing dust, but there’s no time to waste. The wedding will not wait, and on its occasion, as a symbol of the new ties between the families of the bride and the groom, there is a terrible, beautiful new guardian grotesque to be received by the Silva tombhouse from the Salviuses. 

It is surely mounted on the property sometime during the silver-black onslaught of sky upon earth, but Beatrice cannot clearly see it through the rain and the  maze of trees that still separates the Silvas from their neighbors. The families on this hill are not quite rich enough to expand at the pace of the wealthiest among them, who slice and raze to add to their already broad campuses of tombs. Instead, in this part of town, modest, often unmatching clusters dwell amongst the wildflowers and long-lived trees sprayed across the land. 

Beatrice likes the nature. Her perch is kept cool by the damp and dewy mornings, birdsong flickering from above and around. In the filtered haze of heat and light there is some measure of peace too – here, there is less to fight over, and fewer lines of tension between the families. Hidden by farther slopes, there are fewer threats from beyond. And, overshadowed by the lower circuit of large gated tombhouses, there are far milder spoils for aspiring robbers. 

It’s from one of these large inner-city tombhouses that the new stone protector is said to arrive. The Salviuses have money spilling out their hands and down their wrists. It’s said, it’s said, it’s said – it’s whispered in the wind that carries the falling leaves from vine to vane, so easy for Beatrice to stretch up and put an ear to. The pollen clouds dispersed over grass in shapes spelling disruption  and newcomer. It’s gossiped over pages in the library, first with smug nods and just you wait and see, dear, we’re never wrong from the grandfathers and grandmothers as Beatrice pores through the volumes in the upper shelves, precious books pressed so high and so far back that they’re backed into both wall and ceiling. 

Then, inevitably, it carries through the air in the giggles and hushed gasps of the living members of this family, hands curling over yarn and needle as the youngest children breathlessly run and hide behind the walls and in the shadowy pockets of the tombhouse. The Great-great-great Grandmother who had been the first to break the news is mollified by the confirmation, and generously refuses to gloat.

A Silva girl is marrying a Salvius boy, and the Salviuses are pledging a guardian – the spirits know they have too many anyway, but still, a Salvius guardian – to this hill. 

“You’ve got to go over and see what’s going on,” Beatrice is instructed one morning, in no uncertain terms. They’re going over integration by partial fractions on the little platform at the back that looks down over the mills: her, Great-Grandfather, and Lilith, who’s slunk over yet again from the Villaumbrosias’ for some ‘peace and quiet’, and also because Beatrice’s family likes her for some mysterious reason. They pretend it’s because they need the extra pair – or, well, pairs, in Lilith’s case – of eyes. The massive, foreboding, Villaumbrosia affair the next hill over already boasts so many fearsome hands on deck, and they only have one Beatrice. 

Great-grandfather is gentle and teasing about it; Beatrice (and Lilith, although she will never admit it) is his favorite captive audience. 

Of course, it’s easy to treat her as one of their own on mornings like this — quiet summer days when she’s stripped of silica and scale, descended from her weatherworn perch. Devoid of the coarse matter of rock and metal twisted into hungry, flame-spitting fangs, and instead merely a soft-spoken spirit in a youthful skin. When the great grandfathers and mothers and their grandfathers and grandmothers look at her and see dark, almost-human eyes and loosely-bound hair in a bun above her shoulders.  

And when Beatrice walks Lilith out and across the rocky way that leads home, it’s easy for them to wave the two of them off. After all, Lilith is just a young woman with black waves she tucks carefully behind her ears and a handsome, slanting jaw that could almost pass as being real; as being pressed and molded with muscle and mandible and a fragile, mycelial network of vasculature and nerves. Not another delicate illusion that would slip and shatter at the first sign of danger, revealing in a flash the grotesque ugliness within.

There hasn’t been an attack in a while. When there hasn’t been an attack in a while Beatrice thinks the family tends to forget where exactly they hold court.

(Here, cradled close enough within these hills to walk back to where home once was. Children’s handprints on the threshold, coal scribbles on the floor. Walls still perfused with the fragrance and vapor of hot homemade stew.)

This is a graveyard. This is a necropolis, a city of the dead. It slithers amongst the roots of the living but does not make a home of it. In its palm lies the fragile in-between, the sickly sweet intersection where the living and the after-dead mingle like the meeting of two clouds. Within its grounds the family is wont to forget the ruthlessness that’s sometimes needed to keep it in balance.

Once they depart, Beatrice and Lilith’s guises fall away. Invisible to a still-beating heart, two terrible chimeras gouge skid-marks through the dirt to get to the Villaumbrosia citadel before its guests arrive at ten-thirty. Miraculously, only twice during the entire trip does Lilith half-heartedly threaten to snap Beatrice’s tail off. 

They make it there just in time. Beatrice watches as Lilith sweeps her way up the manicured moss columns and melds, in a quick thrash, with the magnificent dark-gray creature of stone that lunges out from the south turret. Frozen like this: mouth curled in a snarl and sharp wings flung out – in mockery, in bombast, in warning; Lilith at her most vindictive and most frightening, the elaborate Villaumbrosia insignia branded hot and painful down her side.

Beatrice knows it hurts, of course. Perhaps less so like this but certainly in the flesh, where it is always red and raw like the day it was carved down Lilith’s ribs in the workshop. Preserved unchanging in the meat as it is preserved forever in the rock. Lilith winces, when she thinks the others aren’t looking, but Beatrice knows. Camila might say something – probably does say something, but Beatrice doesn’t. She understands too well, and after all, what can they do?

After all, this is their work. This is life: whatever is asked of them. For Lilith today, it is to be a showpiece for guests at a bloated, overwrought tea ceremony. Broadly, it is watchman, and protector, and advocate. And at times like these, when there is a stir in the tangled ecosystem of bloodlines and their guardian-creatures, Beatrice is called upon to be an ambassador. 

So, the day after the storm, Beatrice leaves her perch to seek out the Silvas. She glides down from the still-slippery stone, and lands softly on the wet earth, scale meeting fur meeting soil and humid air. 

In her hands – her metaphorical hands – she clasps fistfuls of string that stretch, infinitely thin, to every corner of her tombhouse. She flexes each one and puts it between her teeth as she steps over the threshold and into the trees, testing their elasticity and tensile strength. If there is to be a twang, however minute, she must feel it. There is only one of her at home.

As she approaches the Silva tombhouse the air around her shifts and seems to solidify into a medium both probing and warning. Beatrice stills, allowing the woods to see her and course through her calmness. They know her, of course, and she waits for them to pass on the message to the newest guardian, still incredibly sensitive to the prickle of unfamiliar movement and sound. 

Presently, physically, the world exhales. 

Beatrice cautiously continues forward, until the treeline peels away to reveal the Silva tombhouse.

Tombhouse, as it goes, is a misnomer – a tombhouse is a complex rather than a single shell. It is no single cell for a coffin, but a collection of connected mausoleums and courtyards and passageways and corners and gates, lifted high and tunneled low. And as befitting a clan of esteemed craftsmen, the Silva tombhouse is a harmonious set spiraling outwards in organic whorls. Its walls are scraped clean and brushed beige, curled and leafed and folded in at the edges. Delicate and pretty in its strength in a way Beatrice’s own plain, stoic little set of residences could never be.

At the top of the central mausoleum, bounded by a parapet, rests a flat platform. On that ledge sits the new grotesque. 

Ink-black stone peeks curiously down at Beatrice. 

Immediately it is clear that she is like nothing Beatrice has ever seen before. Yes, as is tradition she is joined and jawed together piecemeal from various symbolic beasts, but this composition and style is unique. 

She’s simultaneously entirely unlike both the typical statues produced by-the-dozen in the workshops, and the specially commissioned sculptures like Beatrice herself. This guardian is a patchwork of shapes and textures Beatrice has only ever seen in the watercolor sketches of her tombhouse’s own library as belonging to exotic creatures from faraway places. Still other elements escape her recognition and description, and everything meshes deftly at smooth, near-invisible seams. 

Perhaps this isn’t surprising in a Salvius guardian – Jillian’s own commission too, it’s rumored. No less should be expected from someone the alchemists and scientists alike shy away from. Jillian Salvius considers herself a traveler, and a collector, and a dabbler, and Beatrice hears that the spokes of her gates are gnarled and carved in strange patterns from foreign lands.

The guardian shifts and cocks her head curiously, and Beatrice pulls herself together sharply.

“Hi,” the creature says. “You must be the neighbor from the east.”

Beatrice snaps back into polite, exceedingly proper posture. She nods, dipping forward in a movement resembling a bow. It makes the high-perched creature giggle, gauzy like air.

“Good morning,” she replies. “My name is Beatrice, and you’re right. How did you know?”

The guardian doesn’t answer. She separates from her stone in a miasma of color, swoops down noisily, and lands, a little clumsily, on a lower ledge. “Two heads, huh?” she says, thoughtfully. “Kinda perfect for the scholars.”

It’s not said judgmentally; more so with a further curious slant of her head, observational and light. Beatrice feels strange and semisolid all over.

She doesn’t correct the new guardian; tell her that no, she hadn’t actually been crafted or blessed for this bloodline, only gifted to them just one generation ago. And gifted rather carelessly, at that; an obligatory token presented upon the death of the benefactor’s tutor.

Before that her two heads were designed not as a tribute to wisdom or a paean to collaboration, but in order to stare proudly over an excessive estate, stretching out in opposite directions over land too vast for merely one head to behold. An arrogant symbol of not just physical, but political reach. She was a status symbol for powerful people – two-faced might be a better descriptor. 

Beatrice has always considered this with some bitterness, but today, she oddly feels no urge to self-flagellate. She feels, suspiciously, nothing at all; a fuzzy blank.

Instead, in response to the guardian, Beatrice blinks. Both of her heads do. They crane and incline together, like long-necked birds bending to convene. She feels sharp ears on each one twitch and flutter.

The creature laughs again. She descends further to the porch, then approaches Beatrice slowly. “I’m Ava,” she introduces herself, finally. Shyly. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“Ava,” Beatrice repeats, careful and hushed. She parses it over and traces it as though threading a needle – how the strange, simple symmetry of the word, the hypnotic up-down-up of A-V-A,  doesn't begin to encompass the entity approaching her. On cue, Ava does a funny, shuddery motion that cascades down her whole form. 

Beatrice, leaning her heads over old tomes like water jugs tipped over a parched tongue, dreams of fantastical things, from places that often sound even more surreal. And yet before her now stands the most peculiar thing alive yet, that defies everything she’s known and seen. 

Yes, clearer now before her eyes, Ava is a patchwork of impossible parts. 

Up close Beatrice can see she’s also a riverbed of illusory things. Small divots seem to scoop themselves out, sink deep, and then ripple back up into the surface of her body. Bubbling, and collapsing, and reforming, like springs of molten mother-of-pearl. Each little cavity shimmers like roughened gemstones: a gasping, dark blue, like well water under the sun; or a moody green like the light-starved undershade in a storm; or a thawing amber that Beatrice cannot even describe except that it looks like the smell of hot bread with a sweet cream core, tempting and steaming.

“Beatrice,” Ava echoes, her eyes gleaming and dark. They bubble expressively and endlessly deep. Gazing at Beatrice, straight, still and pondering. Searching. 

Silence stretches until it doesn’t. 

Something snaps – a bird on a twig above –  and Ava shakes herself awake. “Where’s my manners!” she exclaims suddenly. “Come on,” she swishes around gamely. Beatrice, bewildered, sneezes. 

She’s learning quickly that when Ava laughs, the dense tassel-like feathers on the back rise in delighted reflex and splay apart. 

The two of them slip between trees into a little glade, buoyed by her relentless charm and a thrumming current of something else, in the undertow.

Once upon a time, this was a courtyard, although now that the Silva tombhouse has unfurled in the opposite direction it’s been allowed to tastefully overgrow into its former self, mossy and scruffy. Old pieces of wall and pillars still cordon off one side; Beatrice resists the temptation to bound about and explore, and instead parks herself primly at a corner, not fidgeting.

Ava has no such compunctions. She wriggles herself into a comfortable position on a large boulder. Her weapon of a tail dangles down and bats at the ground idly, uprooting chunks of grass. 

“How are you finding it here?” Beatrice asks, trying very hard to be normal. 

“Honestly? I don’t know yet,” Ava grins, “and you’re the first one of us I’ve met here.” 

She pauses, cocks her head to one side so strikingly. The gesture almost looks human. “You know, my new folks think very highly of you,” She looks appraisingly over Beatrice with an indecipherable expression.

Beatrice feels quite hot. “Mine are curious about you.”

There is a shift in the air as Ava straightens abruptly. Her tail stills. “What will you tell them?”

Beatrice bites her tongues, undecided. She’d meant to think of it later, to phrase and rephrase and turn the words over and over in her mouth on the way back to get them right. It takes a while, usually, to distill her thoughts precisely into words that balance both insinuation and tone, and half the time it ends up all too stilted and formal anyway. How people seem to be able to do that, off the cuff – it’s confusing. Far easier, Beatrice thinks, to sit quietly beside and let such people do the talking.

Especially now that this seems, somehow, to be important to Ava. And especially now that she finds she doesn’t quite have any of the words.

If Beatrice had hands she would wring them. She thinks, distantly, of what someone else wiser than her might say. “They’ll agree with me that you’re certainly unique,” she starts, and it’s like Shannon’s talking through her, stately and gentle. Bold, like Mary. 

She adds, in an abrupt impulse that’s, alarmingly, all Beatrice, “I do think you’ll fit in well here.”

“Oh,” Ava seems surprised. Her tail, heretofore curled tightly on the boulder, relaxes and turns a loose arc in the air, hacking at the grass. “Thanks,” she looks at Beatrice, and inhales sharply, although not unkindly. 

Pauses. Sheepishly, she adds, “I’ve heard some people, uh, calling me devilish and other things, you see. But you know, it’s fine. Whatever.”

Beatrice grimaces involuntarily, then schools her expression back into an empathetic nod. It’s not unexpected. There’s bound to be a procession of curious gawkers and onlookers filing through to try and catch a glimpse of something hailing from the elusive Salviuses. Beartice knows the type: traditional, gossipy and busybodies.

They’ll take one look up the roof and gasp in disbelief or disgust, probably. Sneer up at the twisted, unnatural proportions, if they’re brave. Ava runs too close to the precipice of their diluted tolerance.

“The Silvas are good people. They’ll stand by you.” Beatrice isn’t sure if it helps, but it’s true. The households here are the little silver lining of this part of town, otherwise ragged and out of the way and a little discordant in its hues.

Ava exhales gently. Beatrice thinks there’s a small smile there. “I know.”

“It doesn’t make it easier.”

“Yeah. I know,” repeats Ava, her eyes shining, and it’s almost like she really does. 

Beatrice understands. They did it to her, too, after all.

The people who commissioned her had made a puppet of her. They had demanded a departure from classical references and therefore affixed to her frame things like startling, swiveling joints and odd angles.  Two heads, of course, among other modifications – all in an arrogant, ambitious drive to defy tradition and create a visionary symbol of fear and envy.  Instead, the lay beholder glanced upon the warped anatomy and thought it blasphemy. And so, Beatrice rapidly became that to her own family too: acrid to the eyes, rotted in the soul, a disembowelment. Failure. An embarrassment. 

The whispers billowed large like cotton sheets drying in the fields, caught and blown out in the wind.

It was a matter of time. Beatrice imagines the tiny family offspring being taught their true oral history in a sugary sick little chant, clapping their chubby hands cheerfully and squealing every grim word, 

Then the old teacher died / and it was a great relief / The family rushed to ready / a token of public grief

Her, of course. Her, and not any of the cruder, more sedate, stone guardians that studded the estate. The small ones who, on a good day, sat patiently and circulated air and respired noisily, and who were not capable of thought or pain. The family had a lot of them lining their walls, not much more than large decorative lumps of dough programmed to trap, waylay, or bite at intruders. 

Instead, they parted ways with the looming, ghastly and elaborate figure that guarded one of their main wings, and painted it as a great outpouring of sadness. Beatrice knew better.

The whole event was swift; almost planned in advance. She’d barely had time to send an urgent warning to Lilith before she was gone – a failed experiment in pomposity that took an unforeseen and regrettable turn into the profane. 

In a matter of days she was transplanted from lush green gardens into dry hills bathed in reedy, half-obscured sunsets. The kind of neighborhood her old family would call avant-garde or ‘forward-thinking’, although with a scoff that betrayed what they really thought.

And at night, looking down to sleeping homes, Beatrice would hear in the nothingness the same whispers splashing down the stone like rain, all over again.

Mindlessly, now, she has the sudden urge to reach out and feel. Fluttering cells or hardened stone, it doesn’t matter. She wants to transmute a hand of tender human pulp and skin, and run fragile fingers softly over the strangest braided foldery and flattening of membrane, bumps and spindles until they catch, pierce and bleed. 

And she so badly wants to tell Ava: I think you’re nightmarish and very beautiful. You would hold an army off this humble hill. like holding out a pathetic little bundle of flowers– but she doesn’t. It’s too long and too much; I’m here. is too short, and both are too naked. She’s not that kind of creature. She’s carved from solid rock and even when she sheds it it still feels like its weight chains her to the earth.

Her voices remain even and steady, somehow. 

“I –This isn’t the customary welcome and introductory visit,” Beatrice confesses, in lieu of it all.

“Oh. It’s not?”

Beatrice shakes her heads. “There’ll need to be a more official one.” 

The overlapping layers of spines along Ava’s limbs rise and then flatten, quickly.  “So I’ll get to see you again soon?” 

Feeling warm, or moist, or something like a pillar of pressurized foam, Beatrice clears her throats. “I suppose so. Yes.”

[pendwelling]

hello pen-nim! could you possibly give me an analysis and more insight between aurelie’s and yeseo’s relationship and johaan’s and yeseo’s relationship? im only in the mid 200s chapters rn and wont mind any spoilers, both of these relationships are just really soft and sweet and i love them 😭 aurelie being so loving and motherly to yeseo and johaan being a such a helpful protector in yeseo’s life both make me so happy to read in the story… (also you are the reason why i started twsb in the first place and i am enjoying the journey so far so thank you so much 🙏) -sorry for the bad english

I'm happy to know I helped you in some way in getting into TWSB!! 🥹

Also OH MY GOD...... I'll have you know that Aurélie and Yeseo's relationship in TWSB is one of my absolute favourites and I think about it every day. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to talk more about it HAHA

Aurélie and Yeseo's relationship in the first place is special not just in an emotional sense, but very notably in a symbolic way, as well. In-universe, it is well known that Aurélie, in addition to being the Religious Companion of the Empress of Riester and her best friend since childhood, is also a very powerful and respectable Cardinal. Thus, Yeseo being accepted as Aurélie's sole and only disciple sends a message in that, Aurélie, being the Religious Companion of the Empress and the godmother of the Imperial Crown Prince, is pretty much announcing that Jung Yeseo is the largest Religious Companion candidate in her eyes for Cédric (even when Yeseo was "Jesse", this message was still being sent, though, of course with complications respective to that point in time). But it's clear from the get-go that Aurélie would have been immensely pleased if Yeseo and Cédric formed a Holy Pledge, and she constantly admits to being reminded of herself, Frédérique, and Alexandre's relationship when they were younger when looking at Cédric, Yeseo, and Christelle (CYC).

But other than being mentor and student, there is an even deeper connection between Aurélie and Yeseo, and this connection shows itself in its fullest, I find, (MASSIVE SPOILERS 300+) in the aftermath of Yeseo's first death as "Jesse Venetiaan". Naturally, everyone took his tragic murder at the hands of Prince Consort Werner very hard, but Aurélie was probably one of the people who took it the hardest. Yeseo was not only her student, you see, but a precious child whom she pretty much considered as her own after all the time getting to know and love him.

Mystifyingly, Jesse's corpse did not decay at all after Yeseo's death. With his body being well-preserved and the person himself having been so beloved, his body was laid to rest in Juliette Palace, surrounded by flowers and merely appearing as if he were simply asleep. I should note that it is also Riesterian custom to create bodies after their death—but in Jesse(Yeseo)'s case, they did not even consider this at all. The mere fact that his body was not deteriorating at all probably helped (since people considered it divine signs amongst other beliefs), but I find there was also the factor of all of Yeseo's loved ones simply just... not wanting, exactly, to believe that he was truly gone. To cremated his corpse when his body, though without any soul inhabiting it, while his cheeks were still flushed with blood and his body still looked so alive..... I don't think anyone could have handled saying goodbye to him, when at any moment it looked as if he could just wake up.

Aurélie, in this period, displayed immense grief and mourning no different than that of a mother towards her own child. If not taking care of government affairs, she spent all of her time by Jesse's bedside, talking to him and reading stories as if he were merely in a coma. She skipped meals and spent more than one occasion crying by his bedside. She loved him so much and felt his death so strongly that even the attendants and servants around her wondered if they should stop her from continuing like that any longer, afraid that she might lose herself completely in this grief [305]. Of course, after talking with Frédérique, she was able to regain some strength, determined, even, as they both had gone through a similar tragedy once before. But it was painfully clear in this moment of the story that Aurélie loved Yeseo so dearly. She never had children of her own (though Cédric is also pretty close to one), but Yeseo was HER child. Her disciple, her student, her child whom she cared for and considered her own in all but blood.

What was initially a relationship of convenience—where Aurélie wished to train Yeseo as a priest, and also in return request his help in soothing Sadie's chronic ether pain—eventually developed into a genuine bond of love and adoration. I cannot stress to you enough how much Aurélie loves Yeseo. That is her literal son right there. When Yeseo finally returned to her [341], she was SO happy. Initially terrified that he'd be an imposter claiming to be "Jesse", it actually didn't take much for Aurélie to recognize it was truly him:

From the way that he ways, the cadence of his speech... Although "Jung Yeseo" looked different than "Jesse Venetiaan", Aurélie knew it was him within seconds of seeing him. "To be loved is to be known", and Aurélie knew Yeseo so well. This reunion scene is one of my favourites btw, but it's just so tender... I love how affectionate Aurélie is with Yeseo 🥹 Touching and kissing his cheeks, brushing his hair... Memorizing everything about his new appearance as if wanting to immortalize him in her memory forever... AAUAHHHH

Later on, when the Temple of Borders was finally showing signs of the awakening of a new Pope, the Vatican was quick to connect the dots and conclude that Yeseo (in his own body, this time, not Jesse's) was the Pope chosen by God, Herself. Naturally, Aurélie was very angry about this—after all, in her eyes, the Vatican are a bunch of incompetent people who allowed her precious child and disciple to die under the roof of their own Temple. And traditionally, when someone was chosen by God as Pope, this person would then renounce their nationality and permanent move to reside in the Temple—so of course, Aurélie was angry when the Vatican came and tried to take her disciple away from her once again. Fiercely protective and seeking retribution, she harshly criticized the priests and members of the Vatican who were trying to play religious politics with someone she cared deeply about, and whom they have very severely wronged. She remains bitter about the incompetence and corruption of the "impartial" Vatican up until the end haha, and very obviously holds a grudge. IIRC, she helps contribute to the impeachment of those in charge of the Vatican, and plans to make sure that Yeseo can become Pope in an easier environment (and by that I mean with Riester's full support).

I think of the greatest things that TWSB does with its supporting cast, is that they are truly a cast of SUPPORTING characters. Usually, in this genre, it's not common for adults in power to be somewhat unreliable, but all of the relevant adults around the main cast prove themselves time and time again to be essential to the kids' journeys and providing support either through their actions, or emotionally.

Aurélie does this both VERY well. She is both a mentor for Yeseo but simultaneously is someone whom Yeseo considers a trustworthy and reliable adult, and even though Yeseo is one himself, it's still clear that both he and ChriCed are also young, and the wise life experience and emotional maturity of an older adult figure is essential in the journey of these young friends. Yeseo also cares about Aurélie in his own way, being a very filial student and perhaps even regards her similarly to a mother, always treating her kindly and caring for her, just as much as she cares for him. Prior to his transmigration, Yeseo and the other Jung siblings actually had to place their mother into a hospital so that she could receive care. Culturally, it's typically expected of children to take care of their parents, but because of their own specific circumstances, it was decided that they had to send their mother into the care of professionals. Yeseo actually, very much later on, displays guilt over this, and while he of course loves his mother very much, there is an element of shame, somewhat, and fear that he might be hated for being an unfilial son. So I believe that his close relationship with Aurélie who is both a mentor figure as well as a stand-in mother figure in this other world, is very soothing to someone who carries such buried guilt. It naturally helps that Aurélie genuinely cares about him, and this love is so strong you cannot help but feel touched and supported.

All-in-all, the two of them share a very close relationship, not that different from a mother and son 🥹 I think they truly have one of the most integral and emotional relationship developments in the entire story. It wouldn't be the same without them... 🥹

I've Saud a lot about Aurélie and Yeseo haha, so I'll try to be more brief about Johann and Yeseo. But if one thing about them is for certain, is that Jung Yeseo is Johann Geens' God.

It is a bit ironic that a Cardinal-level Holy Knight—beings whose purpose of existence is to protect God—like Johann admits to being atheist, but the reality is that Yeseo, after helping Johann reach an agreement with Empress Frédérique to keep his life and even reunite with his sickly son Gerrit, regards Yeseo as his God. After all, why believe in a God that did not intervene or try to save either him or his son from their fates? Jung Yeseo gave Johann back a purpose in life, and allowed him to practically be reborn in the Empire as one of Frédérique's people.

Of course, while Johann might officially be Empress Frédérique's subordinate, his true and genuine allegiance lies with Jung Yeseo. Whatever Yeseow wishes to do and accomplish, Johann will make happen. Johann cares deeply about the well-being of the person whom he regards as 'his liege' and 'master'. Canonically, Johann even admits to seeing Yeseo as his angel—understandably, because Yeseo is quite literally Johann's saviour.

One of my favourite lines ever in the novel actually comes from Johann himself:

"I will live for Your Majesty, the Empress, and I will die for His Highness the Prince (Yeseo)."

It's a beautiful and powerful line and I feel also encapsulates the nature of Johann's devotion towards Yeseo.

And regarding Holy Knights and how, within the lore, they were supposedly created for the sole reason of protecting God... I find it symbolic that Johann Geens, a character who never appeared nor existed in the original QPB novel/timeline, exists in the TWSB worldline and largely because of Yeseo. A Holy Knight who exists to protect God... in this case, it's very appropriate that Johann (and by extension, Cédric and Christelle) are the only Holy Knights to have appeared in the Riester Empire, if only because of Yeseo's interference and presence there.

Of course, Yeseo himself, I don't think, realizes the full extent of Johann's devotion to him. To Yeseo, Johann is the mentor of his beloved partners, and a precious friend himself. In fact, Johann's personality is rather crafty when he wants to, always using smooth words to get what he wants, and active force when need be, but towards Yeseo he is usually on his best behaviour. There is a LOT of respect there, but Yeseo first and foremost considers Johann a friend, rather than a subordinate. Even though Johann expresses a willingness to give his life for Yeseo, Yeseo is always reminding him to be considerate of himself, and most importantly, of his son Gerrit. So despite the high regard that Johann has for Yeseo, Yeseo constantly reminds him that their relationship should be more selfish and less selfless—as in, thank you for always doing your best to protect me, but your life is important, too. Johann grows to know this too, actually, and does make his priorities less extreme and more kind. And I think that's really sweet of the both of them, and how their relationship is.

They're very much Liege and Knight, but in a kind, considerate, yet equally devoted way. Just like Aurélie and Yeseo, Johann and Yeseo's relationship is also really dear to me 🥹 Yeseo is also very VERY close to Gerrit, and even takes a sort of doting 'uncle' role towards him, and both father and son care deeply for Yeseo in return hehe

Anyway, I hope I managed to give you the bits of insight into their relationships that you wanted!! I hope you continue to enjoy TWSB and all the beautiful connections the characters have between themselves as you read 🥹🙌

[renaultmograine]

I am sorry I am just super intrigued about the whole Darion giving free will to the hivemind of Death Knights thing, please tell me where I can read about this or anything, I really love this dude and know so little about him 😭

Blizzard doesn't like elaborating on death knights ever and often times forgets nearly every aspect of death knights, so there isn't exactly this clear and concretely stated event for this, it's more of just "this is how it has to be because that's the rules of the world they made."

Because there's Domination between The Lich King -> Subordinates and there Domination between Death Knights -> "lesser"-intelligent undead (specifically thinking of Lurid, Thassarian's skeleton here), it's basically necessity to extrapolate that Domination is enforced by hierarchy, and how it makes no sense that it would be only The Lich King that would Dominating everyone, especially because some death knights were under Kel'thuzad's command (some specifically ONLY under Kel'thuzad's command, such as the Four Horsemen), and Kel'thuzad has a wide berth of Domination skills and he consistently does it to the living in all three of his raid fights.

Per the Chronicles, Darion was the right hand of the Lich King, which makes him out to be in a position equal to Kel'thuzad. That is a position that I doubt he could have and maintain without a power level equal to Kel'thuzad, and as such, Darion had double the health as every racial leader in Wrath of the Lich King. And, as such, with Domination working on a hierarchy, and Darion having control of an entire citadel and those who work out of it, it is far more likely that Darion was personally enforcing the Domination of the death knights.

That's not to reduce the role The Lich King plays, as he is constantly whispering in your ear in the Death Knight starting zone, but there's no way that he has the time to micromanage every ghoul when he has an army with tens if not hundreds of thousands of undead that needs to be reined in.

In the Death Knight manga, we see Thassarian's point of view of the second Battle of Light's Hope, where he is very much still in the position of "The Lich King is good" while Darion and The Lich King fight. Considering how Darion unwaveringly pledges all his knights and everything turns out fine from this without any discussion between the knights, the most simple answer is that Darion manually freed them all and was vehemently keeping them free. From We Ride Forth:

Thassarian's questline in WOTLK also sheds some light on this, as The Lich King says this upon seeing him:

this sentence makes no sense if The Lich King still had some control over the knights, and the death knights largely aren't capable of resisting him, considering that even Darion, the strongest death knight period, without his righteous anger, can't stop a Bolvar who has never exercised this power from Dominating his body, again from We Ride Forth.

[sillygoofyqueer]

The Untamed review: episode seven!!!!!!!

I should be fucking revising, instead I'm watching gay people

Nice scenery

LAN YI!!! My idol. I love you.

You're a one woman army and you're so so strong

She is shooketh by the thought of meeting another Sanren disciple awwww

I'm sobbing violently, she's so happy

SHE LIVED IN SECLUSION BECAUSE SHE MISSED YOU!!!

Who let Wangji and Wuxian in?? They're like stray cats

Nooo, Lan Yi....

Literally, Wuxian asking the right questions

THE. WHAT.

Xue Yang, you WORMHOLE

They ARE being silly, aren't they.

So how does one get the fuck out of them

The WHAT?? COLD POND CAVE

L-Lan Yi??? Don't go??? Please!!!! I love you so much

GET DOWN, WUXIAN, ON WANGJI'S BEHALF

Go on, Wuxian, you're stuck together

Hahaha the jutted chin towards Wangji

EW KILL IT WITH FIRE

WEN QING!!

WEN NING?! MY BABY NO

The boys have to work together now, hahaha

Wen Qing is honestly so so pretty, and so so ingenious

They're both looking for him toootalllyyyy

Only Cheng could recognise Wuxian literally screaming around

Hola pretty boy, let me fall on top of you. PLATONICALLY.

Maybe...untie him??? Also, stop dragging him around, Wangji.

Of course you didn't, Wuxian.

They look so gay like that, I think Wangji's in shock

"Wei Wuxian!" I don't know why Wuxian is smiling, I'd rather face an army over an angry sibling

What a gay situation you two are in hahahaha, not suspicious at all

A WHOLE DAY AND NIGHT??

Oh shit. The whole family has been looking

Wen Qing looking so pretty in the back.

Wen Qing, you aren't actually allowed to know. It's a secret.

Wangji looking at Wuxian for his reaction.

WUXIAN BEING THE LITERAL BEST LIAR AND THE SMILE TOWARDS WANGJI.

Wangji looks very pleased...

Wen Qing, stop it, I love you

The fuck is going on? We being treated to Xichen's expert flute playing.

They are all horrified

Wuxian looks terrified hahaha

THEY KNEW AND DIDN'T TELL YOU??? Booo.

Everyone's telling Wuxian he's smart, he's going to get an ego.

Okay, so, there's a lot of lore going on, but I'm guessing that Qiren has been going to Nie clan (Nie Mingjue) to talk about this growing issue, and Xichen has been holding down the fort here. They knew about the Yin Tiger Tally (that's what it's called in the danmei, I've forgotten it's name in this) but didn't expect it to reveal itself to Wangxian.

Wen owl thing, this can't be good

Is it trying to break through the border??? What the fuck?

WEN CLAN IS GOING FOR IT

It's hard to make funny comments when this is just lore 😔

Although, I do respect that Qiren is finally letting Wuxian be in the tea party (gossip session)

Ah, using it as a tracking device!!

The nod between Wangxian is so sweet

So just...hide it away? As if.

Wangji is literally bringing up good points, don't try and ignore them!

Wuxian is so eager to pledge promises, he's like a little kid. I love him.

"WEI WUXIAN!!! WEI WUXIAN!!!!! Second young master Lan. WEI WUXIAN!!!" Huaisang, my beloved

Huaisang has way too much trust in Wuxian, I would not trust this dumbass to look after himself

Literally throwing Wangji under the bus, no remorse hahaha

Wangji is so stoic, HE'S MEWING!!!

Cheng looks so suspicious lmao

Bro is about to tell Huaisang something and Wangji looks either concerned or jealous, I can't decide

BRO IS MAKING UP LITERAL BULLSHIT

The way Wangji relaxes

Wuxian gets the strangest joy from scaring the shit out of Huaisang and I am living for it

"never mind, don't tell me, don't wanna know" me too, Huaisang, me too

Lanterns???

Cheng approaching from behind like the next boss fight

Ohhh, he's jealous of Wangji lmaooo

The little exhale and smile on Cheng's face as Wuxian reassures him 😭 they're brothers

AND WANGJI'S JEALOUS OF HIM HAHAHA

Oh, he looks so sad, I feel really bad for him now. I want to cry.

Or maybe he's realising he's in love. One of the two

XUE YANG, YOU'RE LOOKING PARTICULARLY SLUTTY TODAY /pos

One of the Wens, who fucking knows which one at this point

Oh, Wen Chao.

Xue Yang has literally no chill.

HE LOOKS SO PLEASED OH MY LORD.

How the fuck is Wen #243 sitting like that?? Cannot be comfy

Bro is going to go feral in Yueyang

Literally just you wait, don't underestimate the Lans

HAHA YOUR FATHER DOESN'T LOVE YOU.

Awwz they're all making lanterns

Jiang Yanli, you are such a sweetheart but you can do better than Jin Zixuan. If he's who you want, I love you for it, but WEN QING!!!

"shall we make a lantern together and wish because we've been through so much together?" "I'm used to being alone" WANGJI MY BABY, YOU DON'T NEED TO BE ALONE ANYMORE

"you can change your habits."

"my lantern is made specially for you" Wuxian you fucking flirt!!!

HE DREW A BUNNY ON IT, I'M SOBBING

WANGJI SMILED!!! LIKE!!! AAAAAAAGGGHHHH!!!!

Bro was startled by his own emotions and took it out on Wuxian. Now chaos will ensue.

NIE HUAISANG, AWWW, I'M SO SORRY!!

"you can't afford it" he isn't wrong....

Qiren and Xichen coming to watch the show, actually quite sweet.

The lanterns look so pretty

WANGXIAN HAD A LANTERN TOGETHER

Wuxian looks so pleased, I am in love with this man

These are so beautiful, I wouldn't want to let mine go

Wuxian sneaking a look at his boyfriend

The little look between Zixuan and Yanli is adorable

I'm upset Qing was on her own, WHERE'S WEN NING?????

Ooh, everyone's wishing now, this is very wholesome

Hahaha "I don't want to fucking come back here" Huaisang, you're so real

"I want my little brother to be safe and sound his whole life" Qing 🥺🥺 the world doesn't deserve you

Cheng hearing and giving her the sweetest little smile, maybe they are in love

"I wish that I can stand with justice and live with no regrets" adorable, innocent sentiment, but that does not go as planned

That is the gayest look I think I've ever seen Wangji give Wuxian yet.

Man's is quite literally in love. Period.

Make a wish, dumbass!

Don't look at the Yin Tiger Tally, your wish should be GAY

Wuxian looks so happy and peaceful

This is such a sweet little scene, really breaks from the fucking lore

"what did you wish for?" "I wished you'd fucking grow up" YANLI I LOVE YOU. SO MUCH. YOU'RE SO ICONIC.

Wuxian's adorable ass pout, I love him

NONONONO THIS CAN'T GO SOUTH. PLEASE. NO.

Women. I love you. Stop it.

I'M FUCKING LOSING IT, GET YOUR SHIT TOGETHER JIN ZIXUAN. SHE'S SO PERFECT AND BEAUTIFUL AND YOU'RE FUCKING IT ALL UP FOR YOURSELF.

Wuxian, kill him. Launch attack.

HOW FUCKING DARE YOU. HOW DARE YOU?!??!

WEI WUXIAN, ATTACK MODE. KILL.

GO FOR THE FUCKING THROAT.

RAAASRRGHRHRUSISBDISO

Smack him to pieces. Kill him.

What's going on??

Hahaha, Wei Wuxian's beating the shit out of Jin Zixuan.

HE WASN'T PICKING A FIGHT, HE WAS PROTECTING YANLI'S HONOUR

You two are barely fighting.

Look at how many people it takes to hold them back lmao.

WANGJI TO THE RESCUE!!!

Literally just wants him to stop, listen to him!

Holy shit, Zixuan looks like shit.

THAT'S WHAT I'M SAYING. GOOOD SNITCH. GOOD.

The muttering of distaste. Yanli looks so upset, I'm going to beat Zixuan myself.

The way they all fucking glare at him. Good

Wangji thinking that Wuxian is crying and going to make sure he's okay 🥺

Also, don't think I didn't notice that you're calling him Wei Ying now, you sly dog.

...... Don't worry, Wangji. He's just a a fucking idiot..

Wangji can't even comprehend what goes on in Wuxian's brain

He's in love hahaha

"these ants are so cute" Wuxian, I love you

The goofy ass music that plays when Wuxian is doing anything stupid is very special to me

What is he even doing???

Bro, no need to be so harsh, Jiang Fengmian

The glare bro gives him, hahaha

Cheng just wanting to mock Wuxian, I love him

Wuxian receives joy at the thought of Zixuan in pain. What a guy.

"I'd change my surname if he didn't cry because on kneeling" Wuxian is a very loveable dumbass

He's been scolded loads by Qiren, bro ain't scared. He's plotting his revenge.

GRRGRRGRRRR FUCK OFF JIN GUANGSHAN. I mean. Hello.

Nice moustache

The lads having a get together hahaha

Basically telling them to sort their shit out haha

"Wei Ying is a naughty boy" Yes, and an idiot, but not a toddler

Jiang Fengmian doesn't need to apologise on Wuxian's behalf

"I'll scold him" "no need lmao, I did it for you"

"Tell me of your request." "ABORT THE WEDDING. ABORT ABORT."

Fuck off Guangshan, let them decide.

I like Fengmian's style.

Don't blame Wuxian for everything!!!!

I love how Cheng went literally running to Wuxian

The worry on Wuxian's face 😔

STOP TRYING TO BEAT PEOPLE UP!!

He just wants to make sure Yanli is okay...

They're just being suspicious now haha

THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT THE YIN TIGER TALLY!!!

Dramatic ending to that scene

Wei Wuxian sprinting to make Jiang Yanli feel better

AWWW, STOP, I FEEL SO UPSET FOR HER

He's trying so hard, I love him for that

Paper thingy moving aaaaaghhh

I'd probably squash it

Stop, this is so sweet, Yanli looks a little happier at least

YANLI THINK ABOUT YOURSELF FOR ONCE

Go on Wuxian, you know what someone needs

I'd beat him if it were me

YES SHE WILL!!!!

"I don't want a wife" you want a husband called-

They're literally so so sweet

Back to old men gossip (and Xichen)

THEY'RE SPEAKING ABOUT XUE YANG AND HIS RAMPAGE

They've shown their cards now, you can fight back

Guys, you can't look so worried, it creates a bad mindset

HAHAAHAHA HOW LONG DID THEY PRACTICE THAT HAHA

Cheng feeling jealous 😔

Nobody can discipline Wuxian hehehe

I love how Fengmian doesn't even try to disagree

WUXIAN LOOKS SO UPSET WHEN WANGJI DOESN'T LOOK AT HIM :(((

What's up now? More shit?

I bet he's not looking at Wuxian because he doesn't want to cry

Wuxian literally has to be dragged away from Wangji

HE'S NOT HAPPY!!! HE'S VERY UPSET

Cheng is so easily calling our gay man out haha

They're literally not even out the doors and fighting already awww

I love them

Playing tag

MOCKING QIREN HAHAAHAHAH I LOVE THEM

Wangji.....you look so very sad. You're entering gay mourning now

YOU HAVE TO TELL HIM. He'll find out anyway, he's a slippery little snake.

Awww, Wuxian with playing with rabbits, that's fucking adorable

He wants them to be happy :((

He's thinking about Lan Zhan all the time. How cute.

See, he's already figured it out haha!

I wonder if we'll go back to the future yet...

[solar-serpent]

Hello! I would love to join your offer for readings. I pick venus. Thank you so much! - Giovana

Hello, Gio! Thank you for stopping by to participate in this game. I hope everything's going great with Uni (:

I'm sorry for the wait. Here's your reading.

I have mixed feelings about your soulmate’s Venus sign. I drew the Page of Swords for this reading, which is associated with Gemini. While I can sense mutable Venus energy, it could be either Gemini or Pisces. In my astrology class, we had an inside joke about Gemini and Pisces: “same species, just different elements!” 😭🤣 So here’s where I let my intuition guide me in describing your soulmate’s values and other equally important details, regardless of their Venus sign.

He has jet-black curly hair, a slim build, and is average height—not too tall but certainly not short. He’s an explorer at heart, drawn to solo trips where he can discover new places and observe animals, like birds, in their natural environments. He seems mesmerized by nature and the soul he finds in animals and all things green. While he likes people, he feels that his intense curiosity might sometimes overwhelm them.

He’s intellectual, with deep thoughts he rarely shares with others. On the surface, he might seem like your basic guy, but when he speaks, he reveals insights that are well-analyzed and thoughtfully concluded. He’s somewhat of a loner and has a strong connection to spirituality, even if he’s not particularly interested in witchcraft or Tarot readings. He finds his spiritual beliefs through nature and certain books. His spirit animal is the crow—mysterious, handsome, and clever. He’ll only pledge loyalty to someone who truly treats him well. Otherwise, he’ll take flight and vanish into the night.

He’s passionate about both the arts and construction. He probably knows how to fix a leaky pipe and how to carve a bull out of a block of wood as well. He has this unique balance between being a refined, civilized man and someone who could thrive in the jungle and emerge as its king. He’s also a man of many secrets. He’s not comfortable with confrontation or being in the spotlight, so he purposely keeps some of his skills hidden to avoid drawing attention or having people ask how and when he learned them. He doesn’t want to come off as a show-off, despite being naturally talented at many things. He’s not necessarily a slave to books; he believes that in order to thrive in life, one must be in tune with themselves. He can also be overindulgent at times. As a solitary man, he may seek comfort in his solitude through drinking and overeating.

He’s drawn to women with a temperate character. He doesn’t have a specific "type", looks or particular personality traits don’t matter to him. What he values most is his peace, so he would appreciate someone who can help maintain that tranquility. However, I do notice that he’s likely attracted to women who are natural healers, who love nature, and who aren’t shallow.

I hope this reading was to your liking. If you wish to support me, I will gladly accept a coffee from you.

[michelleelizabethtanner]

What would you have rather seen in canon:

Brio hug scene where Rio is trying to comfort an upset Beth

Scene where either Beth or Rio is injured but they can’t go to the hospital so the other attempts to fix the injury

Beth using Rio’s name to his face

(Thank goodness you have more or less versions of these in rough night to keep us fed lol)

Personally I would’ve liked to see the injury one because it would force some vulnerability between them that neither would show normally lol

Uuugghhh it’s so hard to chooooose, Anon!! I wanna see all of them. 😭😭😭

Ok so going through one by one…

I would say a hug is out for me in canon. At least as much as we got of canon. They weren’t really a huggy kind of couple. Their touches were very targeted and very specific. A hug is something else. Beth’s hugs were almost disingenuous even with people she loved. She’s uncomfortable with touch and her hugs were always guarded. And I didn’t want to have that discomfort between Brio. Their intimate touches were more subtle and always with him being mindful of her physical boundaries. His “I’m gonna teach you” moment was a “huggy” moment. It had that comforting feeling, that intimacy of a hug to it, while also giving Beth the space to keep her discomfort with physical touch. I really like that moment because it respected their boundaries and offered meaningful comfort at a level Beth could hear and understand.

I do love the fixing each other’s wounds trope. This is my very close second. It’s so symbolic of their atonement for the wounds they’ve inflicted on each other. I agree with you, that kind of vulnerability would have been healing for them and connected them further. Plus the ample opportunity to explore each other’s bodies and remember how intimately familiar they are with each other. A chance to remember touching intimately in a very different way and in a very different setting. There’s something so romantic to that nostalgia for them. That acknowledgment of how they each have changed and yet are so familiar. Ugh! I wanna read some injury fics now. 🥹

But I think I actually would have very much liked to see Beth use Rio’s name to his face. I think had she said his name with that little crack in her voice she gets when she’s very emotional, he would have dropped down on one knee and proposed right on the spot. That much vulnerability from her, her finally humanizing him right to his face, he could not have resisted it. He loooooves rescuing her. And her saying his name in a vulnerable way would have cemented him to her permanently. It would have been her choosing him. At least in his perception, her using that much honesty in her communication with him would have meant the world. He would have taken it as her undying pledge of her love and loyalty. (It’s kinda what I decided to do in Rough Night. She uses his name when she’s being honest and vulnerable, and he calls her baby when he’s doing the same.)

Or actually, you know what I was really waiting for and never got? Her touching him. Any kind of touch initiated by her would have broken through so many barriers. Because she isn’t a touchy person, her making that move would have meant a lot. He knows she doesn’t do touch. It would have stopped him in his tracks. Her touch is so weighted with meaning whenever she offers it to him. So a platonic touch of any kind would have communicated everything unsaid between them.

[hvrtrcts]

This is an old draft back when I started writing in 2019 so please mind my cringe ass writing style please I lowkey hate it 😭

It didn't feel like home anymore to her. All it seemed was like a hovel of madness and grief, fury flowing in her veins as she stands before the doorstep of the apartment she had once called home.

But what was home? She often wondered. A paragon of memories? A reminder of tragic ends? A memento of hope?

She walks by the abandoned apartment and she breaks down the door. It was still the same, she observed as she scoured the empty cabinets, the spaces between the couches but she dares not find anything incriminating worth. It annoys her, hoping she could find something.

All that she finds are the memories she wanted to bury into the deepest corners of her stone-cold heart, where no one could pry them off her. Her body goes into a trance as she traces her hands through the same cabinets, the same couch, the same counters - she is reminded of all the sweet whispers, the deep indulging kisses, her silent declarations of love.

At that moment, many might think her facade would break. One. Two. Three. Four. She counts to herself, regaining her facade of indifference, forgetting the mistake of ever losing her heart to someone. She dares not to think but - she is wronged.

She enters the room they once had shared - she thinks she is going mad as she hears laughter, whispers, and a sweet hum fading away in the background, making her skeptical of the reality she was in.

Truth be told, a broken heart does make one go unhinged, feral, deadly. But she attempts not to face the consequences. She has broken a long time ago, never a child - she reminds herself, the world rather but, she almost lets out a sob as she sees her, nothing but a decaying corpse.

Everything fades away, she feels her limbs turn numb. She wants to cry, scream and curse the fates but, she cannot. She dares herself not to. Eyes turning red in fury, she dares not a tear to drop from her eyes.

But her broken heart craves vengeance.

She remembers how it ends, with screams and anger from both with a last kiss of separation forever breaking their bond but it wasn't. So, she kisses her cold dead forehead as she pledges destruction and demolish to the one who caused this.

[blighted-elf]

Had some time to finish Wrath of the Righteous in between clients and thought I’d give my Opinions, like I did for Kingmaker, but this time, with much kinder things to say!

May as well start off with the bad because there are so few:

- I preferred the map travel in the first game. They shortened the time it takes to get exhausted for no good reason omg. - The character backgrounds are quite literally useless as far as dialogue goes. Didn’t get to talk about being an Acolyte once, and only got to talk about being a Pharasma worshiper three times (incidentally, NOT when you actually meet her?). Such a wasted opportunity. Games like PoE incorporate backgrounds much more successfully imo.

Now for the good/great:

- Finally a game that lets you play as Anything-But-Lawful-Good successfully? A fantasy game that doesn’t try to force you to be the hero? Fuck yes. I had a great time being Chaotic Neutral - Chaotic Evil. There’s so many games where doing that will result in all your companions leaving you, being locked out of quests and any decent endings. But not this one!

- The story and antagonists were truly great. Getting banished to the Abyss the second you get some footing? Stressful but fun. The overall pacing was much better than in Kingmaker too. Areelu was so similar to my Commander (power hungry knowledge seeking creatures of chaos, let’s go), despite me not researching anything about her prior to the character creation. I almost considered saving her, but when she spoke about defying Pharasma, I had to stay in character. So, my commander sacrificed her but only out of duty, not necessarily out of personal want.

- The Mythic paths made the Commander feel very personalised. Trickster was a bit memey at some points, but generally a bit of fun. Like, I turned a powerful demon lord into a mirror instead of fighting her. Then slept with Socothbenoth, after pledging allegiance to his enemy... in front of all my companions and a bunch of other demon lords. Also, I still have each member of the council’s soul in a cauldron because I didn’t use it then skipped town, which may be the biggest prank of all. - The companions. Good god, I fell in love with so many of them. Woljif, my beloved rogue tiefling template. Arueshalae, the literal succubus, who just... stops being a demon as soon as Desna/the Commander shows her love and support (or you can make her evil again). Opposingly, Camellia, my “irredeemably evil” bestie, gets even worse when you show her love and support and I genuinely loved that because it’s such a rarity in this genre. And just... the entire Daeran romance. The hold that this fictional man currently has over me 😭 Like, I originally wanted to go for Arue but Count Sass started flirting while insulting me and my Commander was like ohh I’m going to ruin his life in the best way. Confession time part 1... Accidentally got the bad ending for Sosiel, but he married some guy and lived happily ever after still? He was just mourning his brother? Sorry to a fellow cleric. I’ll do better next playthrough and pay closer attention. Confession time part 2... I loved Wenduag but killed her in her last quest because In Character, and regretted it for the rest of the game. Definitely going to keep her alive next time. Soz Wendy.

But yeah, I highly recommend this game and desperately need multiple story DLCs to come out soon!

[lonestardust]

my precious carefully curated tarlos playlist has been thriving because of the wedding and one of the staples there is Biblical. An aiming straight for heartstrings ballad that bursts open with lush powerful orchestration with lyrics about marrying the love of your life and why they are the one. and I love how calum as a queer artist writes from those universal yet personal perspectives that give space for queer love to be in the default to allow queer people to fully relate to very grandiose and mainstream modern pop standards, I especially love what he said about the song here 🥺

"The word Biblical to me is about unquantifiable love, a love beyond description or measure, a love of biblical proportions that transcends everyone and everything."

the opening verse starts with quiet and soulful piano, lyrics all about the insurmountable power of love and how it hits you :

"Didn't know that I'd fall so hard/ then my feet left the ground / Gravity don't make no sense when you're around / I come up against myself when / Demons in my head get loud / I don't know how you do it, but you turn them down.."

In the pre chorus things begin to percolate and there’s the addition of strings that makes the truths he's confessing to his person all the more assertive, loud and from the heart : “I slip and wonder who I’d be / If I never found you and you never found me / Well I don’t wanna see." then more strings enter and the chorus soars so beautifully "so won't you give me tonight / and the rest of your life? / I wanna have it all with you /I wanna have it all with you"

and then he professes that this love is biblical, and his vocals get tender avowing all of these truths to his person before he goes on again with assertive and full-bodied voice pledging his commitment that "If you ever go to pieces/ Fall between the thunder clouds / I will put you back together, I won't let you down"

biblical is so vulnerable and forceful with love all at once 😭 it really encapsulates it all!!! and to think of carlos and tk expressing that to one another on the day they unite forever and how it's all like an assortment of vows and the narration of their story from the start makes it so special 😭😭😭

[kazzattack]

alf is for sure in this! his name is subject to change but for now he’s theodore. i’m torn between having him be a best friend to the parents (the romans) and being the guardian to their son (since bruce isn’t adopted my alfred, at least legally) or if he straight up adopts him. since he’s gonna go on to adopt a whole 4 kids he could have that connection since he was adopted by theo.

I didn’t consider jobs yet, i’m still a bit stuck on what established parts of the characters I want to include vs do completely new. so most of the dynamics amongst the kids and their main traits are going to stay, but like cass in comics either doesn’t talk, or doesn’t talk often due to what she endured in her upbringing, but lacy is the social butterfly of the family. did you have anything in mind? nobody’s gon be a cop or anything but😂 I think angelo should still have something he did with his parents before they died that he eventually turns into a career though.

I love duke with all my heart it was a no brainer that he would be included here, esp with the lack of content with him not just in main comics but also in fan works as well. imma do right by my son. also lacy just came from my obsession with the black!batsis tag I follow on here, I figured in shows like this (the fosters for example) they don’t often have black people in it at all, and esp not black girls so I knew I had to make her black. - ❤️‍🔥

i vote for making theo a best friend of the parents, just cuz it’d be cool calling him “the godfather” or smth. he’s pledged to help raise their son and care for him in case something tragic happens. i like relationships like that a lot for some reason

angelo is dick’s counterpart right? i feel like acting could be a cool family legacy to continue, and it still fits in the performer category without it being painfully obvious he’s a character similar to dick 😭 but brenton thwaites has been on the brain recently so that might still be a little biased

i’ve always been kinda butthurt about how little black girls show up in any type of story. and whenever they get their own story it’s often centered around their experiences as a black girl, which isn’t bad of course but yeah it’d be cool asf to see a black girl in a story like this. i’m also prone to seeing myself in any black women included in a story, even if we have… literally nothing in common other than being black women. i just have to root for them no matter what idk

[binxheras]

binx/andhera moments from ep7

Andhera and Frog!Binx leaving the tailors talk about the mortal realm and how many books Andhera has read

When Binx has to leave with Rue, Andhera cannot make a coherent sentence to say farewell 😭

Andhera visits Binx's quarters, is greeted to Binx in the equivelent of a dirty t shirt and leggings, and lets him in

Andhera requests if she could make something for him, collabing a outfit

Binx measuring Andhera (the intimacy of being close ????)

Andhera doubting if he should get a crown, downsizing to a tiara, or a headpiece, but Binx insists she'll make him a crown

"thank you for trusting me with this"

Andhera and Binx talking about what they have in common (being alone for periods of time 😭)

Binx talks of the rumours of the Queen of Air of Darkness, which Andhera doesn't diffuse and further talks about the stoicism of the Unseelie court

Reveal of the elemental shard on his neck, anytime hes emotional a cloud would form above his head - and Binx is rightfully mortified

Binx offering to remove the shard and Andhera is stunned (Bonus Brennan reaction to Surena's words)

"It has been the nature of my family to pit sibling against one another for quite a time, because there was this idea of scarcity of love in my family. And nothing quite clicked until hearing you talk about magic. The way you see magic is that magic is love, a plant reaching up for the sun, the affinity between people and things..and it occured to me that, the fey, we treat magic as if there is a scarcity to it in the same way that we feel like there's a scarcity to love, and its something to manipulate, move around like pieces on a game board. That can't be correct.."

"For me, in my Court, magic is love. Magic is feelings. Magic is anger, magic is, you know, is everything, but there are fey out there who do wish to withhold or keep, capture, siphon magic. And, as such, is you know why thats what happened to everyone..Except for I found a loophole you see. I found to create sort of like a, I don't know another term for it other than a washing machine, like a spinning cycle of movement and magic that can happen between belief and the Mortal Plane. And I work with three others who believe in me and together we create magic. And that's how I am here! The last Weaver of Fate [...]"

Binx panics after her monologue and proceeds to finish his outfit for them <3

Andhera brings a hand on Binx's shoulder to turn her (the live studio audience is intrigued) - THEN BRUSHES HIS HAND ALONG HER SHOULDER BLADES????????

Asking about the royal term of the Court of Wonder , revealed to be a house, Andhera grabs a cardboard tube and pledges a oath to Binx's cause

"Let's bring this entire fucking thing down." Is knighted by Binx, who goes "Let's."

Andhera: "i made a pit stop" The entire table: OOOOOs (makes jokes that hes going to a jeweller for a ring)

Hob really goes "are you going to court grabalba? are you sure? no? okay." and proceeds to try to push Andhera towards Binx, and Rue attempts to push Binx towards him (ultimately a failure)

Binx and Andhera spend a large majority of the dance in the shadows talking to one another

Binx shares a black apple with them, taking a bite, Andhera gets to feel memories of the mortal realm for the first time of warmth, a found family he never experienced growing up, and a overall sense of comfort

"My happiness up until this point has been like striking a piece of flint in the darkness, little bits of spark which I was very grateful for. This is a fire..Thank you..Would you accompany me to a quick conversation?" "Sure, I would love to."

Arm linking !!!!

Andhera leads them towards the Lords of the Wing, to which Chirp realizes Binx and Gwyndolin are the same

[ivy-loves-chocolate]

Can I ask for some angst with the RE boys suddenly finding out their longtime s/o was killed 👉👈

A/N: why do you do this to me anon 😭 ok so when I have requests like "can you do RE characters something something" my brain only can think of Wesker Chris and Leon and completely forgets the other characters as I didn't just played/watched something re related minutes ago 😂 so if you think I skipped someone and want to add him/her just say it 😊. I also haven’t written in a very long time so I’m a little bit rusty. Hope you like it tho.

Type: angst, headcanons

Warnings: mention of death.

Leon Kennedy

The moment he’d found out about your demise, he’ll be overwhelmed by sadness. He is used to losing people he loves and cares about, and while your death has a significant impact on him, and it takes him longer to comprehend what happened, in the end, it’s just another death added to a long line of losses.

So much tragedy has happened around him in the past few years that it has made him numb. Still, he’ll mourn your death and will blame himself for being away from you the moment it happened. The last thing he could do was to be there for you in your final moments, at least. He wanted to hold you in his arms during your final breath, to comfort you until your pain would permanently stop, and to warm you. The image of you sitting there all alone while everything goes dark, without him to comfort you, rips him apart.

He’d go after the people who hurt you and kill them. It provides a short-term relief until he finds himself all alone again. After he finishes his task, he’ll organize a private funeral.

Losing people he loves has become a part of him since it happens so often. When he lost you, he felt that familiar hopeless feeling. I’m not talking about feeling helpless in front of the fact that he lost you, but in front of life itself for taking you from him so soon.

If only he wasn’t away on a mission, he could’ve held you one last time.

Chris Redfield

The moment he’d found out about your demise, he’d be overwhelmed by anger. He got the news over the phone and began to ask a lot of questions. He didn't believe it at first until he received some proof. He felt an intense wave of anger hit him and hung up. He’ll scream and curse his days for not being able to protect you.

Chris was also your captain. At first he had a bad feeling about the mission you wanted so desperately to go on, and at first he didn’t let you, but you pledged, and he allowed you to leave.

He’ll cup his head and cry. He’s in his office where no one can hear or see him, so he’s safe. Chris began to make a list of suspects that could do this to you, but the more he thought about it, the bigger it became. The prime suspect would be his archnemesis, Albert Wesker. Without wanting to risk anyone's safety, he quit his job and assembled a small team with very skilled and trusty people to go and find the killer.

Albert Wesker

The moment he’d found out about your demise, he’d be overwhelmed by grief. He doesn’t "feel" emotions like a normal human. He was numb until he met you, and he still had a long way to go, so the intensity with which he felt the grief was overwhelming. He could barely keep his composure. The worst part is that you were the only person able to help him control his emotions, and you weren’t there anymore.

He’ll hunt down the people involved in your death, and he’ll do it by himself, which isn’t something he usually does. Whenever he has to deal with sensitive issues such as assassinations or spying, he simply hires someone to do the dirty work. However, being a personal matter, Wesker feels that only he can properly avenge what was between the two of you. A last act of love made a widow partner.

Once he gets revenge, he’ll collapse on the cold, bloody floor. It was no surprise that it was a fast job given his powers. However, that relieving feeling he thought he’d experience once he finished everyone never came. He felt even more emaciated, and the guilt was pressing on him like never before. He found himself surrounded by corpses, and that made him realize his vendetta was in vain and that he wasn’t coming back too soon. Tears began to roll down his cheeks as he let all of that grief come out. He allowed himself to be weak one more time before facing the ultimate truth: the fact that he wouldn’t see you again. For that, he’ll need a lot of strength.

Jake Muller

The moment he’d found out about your demise, he’d be overwhelmed by resentment. Like his father, he won’t show his emotions, but deep down he’ll be a mess.

He’ll hunt down the men that hurt you. This quest drained him, but the thought of having the bastards at gunpoint kept him going, and it didn’t take long. He was there, eyes fixated on the gun barrel that was pressing over their foreheads. Jake had that spark in his eyes, one that highlighted his desire to fulfill his revenge. However, he couldn’t pull the trigger. Like it or not, you made him a better person. In the heat of the moment, he got a tiny moment of clarity in which he realized that killing them wouldn’t solve anything, but it would burn his soul completely. He knew better than to fall into the revenge trap.

He pulled the gun aside and walked away. As he was slowly getting farther, he could feel some hot tears running down his cheeks. He didn’t try to stop them. Instead, he learned to accept what happened and allowed himself to cry. It was the first time doing so since your death, and he felt a little better.

Piers Nivans

The moment he’d found out about your demise, he’ll be overwhelmed by sorrow. You two were on a mission to investigate a hidden lab that produced BOWs. He heard an explosion, and the radio went static. The terrorists blew themselves up. He tried to reach your location, but his superiors told him to stay until the area was safe. No survivors were spotted.

He was running out of patience. Some announced on the radio that a survivor was seen crawling outside. With hope in his heart, he rushed to him despite any warnings. He put on a biohazard suit and ran.

When he reached the area, he saw the body laying on the ground. It was covered in blisters, the red skin, showing he was severely burned. He flipped over the body to take a better look at it, but he didn’t see any resemblance. It wasn’t his lover, but a random scientist.

Piers tried asking him about any other survivors, but he could barely speak. He died in his arms. Looking back at the factory, he just found out that his lover is long gone. He swore right there that he'd spend the rest of his life ending bio-terrorism.

Karl Heisenberg

The moment he’d found out about your demise, he’ll be overwhelmed by rage. First, he’ll take all the anger out. If any unfortunate soldati happen to be around, then they’ll be destroyed. After he gets tired, he’ll come up with a plan to avenge your death. That will become his number one priority. He’ll put off destroying Miranda for now.

I think you can imagine that a guy with his powers and intelligence can achieve his vengeance in a very short time. He’ll play with the bastard that took you away from him, tease him, make him believe that he can escape, and when he’s too weak to get up, Heisenberg will kill him.

However, he wasn’t aware that in his pursuit of avenging you, he had destroyed himself. All that rage wore him out, destroyed him. He's too tired to continue killing Miranda. He shut down his factory. There is no one left to save the village now.

Ethan Winters

The moment he’d found out about your demise, he’ll be overwhelmed by blame.

He is overly protective of his loved ones, willing to even sacrifice himself. So him not being able to protect you has a great impact on him.

He often thinks that it should be him instead of you. He won’t be able to sleep because he can’t stop thinking about different scenarios that could help prevent your death. What if he was there? What if he accompanied you? What if, what if, what if…

If there is any sign or any lead that you are alive, he'll eagerly follow it, no matter how much time has passed since your death. You'll remain in his heart forever.

When he finally gets a lead he’ll pack up some stuff and leave. He doesn’t care if he leaves behind his life, nor if he dies. The more he investigates, the more he feels connected to you again, and that fuels him. Every small item that he finds and that you possessed in your life brings him good memories of the two of you. Those memories also keep him going. Eventually, every proof leads him to a small village in Europe. He’s prepared for whatever he’s going to find.

Carlos Oliveira

The moment he’d found out about your demise, he’ll be overwhelmed by confusion. In the first few minutes, he’ll have trouble understanding that you are no longer alive and that it must be some kind of mistake. Even after the soldier shows him proof of your demise, he’ll still be in denial, and will remain so for a long period of time.

The thing with Carlos is that he is a hopeless romantic who believes in soulmates. When he met you, he thought he had found his better half and was ready to settle down and begin a family. Your death had a great impact on him once he passed the denial phase. He let it all out, cried, cursed his life, and blamed himself for your death.

Even if he manages to heal after your loss, he will have a rough time getting into a relationship. What he had with you was unique, and he won’t feel the same with someone else. You were his soulmate, after all.

[calderskillday]

A COURT OF FEY & FLOWERS EPISODE 7 liveblog!!!!!!

omg right off the bat turning binx into a frog "brooch"

SURENA WHAT WAS THAT SOUND

"you make an excellent frog" andhera u are such a useless boy <3

oh my god surena is incredible

hhhh the whole table's reaction when rue says "you were USED"

HOB GIVING HIS MEDAL TO RUE

ANDHERA NOT BEING ABLE TO FORM A WORD GAHHH

LMAO LOU "i ain't gonna let this shit fly"

wannessa... detecting magic...

BEG YOUR PARDON FOR TAKING A JAB AT YOUR MOMENT

omg sea foam trying to recruit rue...

lmao both lou and emily being so disappointed that the camera is headed towards them

DO WE HAVE THREE HOURS AND TWENTY TWO MINUTES

airry pearry makes another appearance 👀

emily aXfOrD

"actually, i wanna fail" em always does what's fun 🤭

OMG aabria's drugs mechanics

(emily is so hot, anyways)

the LORDS OF THE FREAKING WING

peep 🥺🥺🥺🥺

"you know i get off on other people's pleasure" every single emily axford character 🤭

LOU WILSON CHAOS

HOW INSANE TO CRIT ON CHOPPING CIGARS

emily is fucking making MOVES this episode

lou's lil "hai-ya" as he throws his die

oh this shit's getting INTERESTING

the green hunter stuff is so fucking funny

BALL TIME BALL TIME

THE FEY EQUIVALENT OF LEGGINGS AND A DIRTY TSHIRT

OH MY GODDDDDD ANDHERA'S MASQUERADE BALL ART

omg this scene is so cute

WE FINALLY KNOW WHAT THE STONE ON HIS NECK IS

binx offering to take it out for them 🥺

binx has 3 warlocks!!!

why is this gonna make me cry?? surena i LOVE U

"studio audience"

describing the court of craft as a house, a home 🥺🥺🥺

I PLEDGE MY OATH TO YOUR CAUSE AHHHHHHHH

THE SET CHANGEEEE

omg the animated picture of the room.....

HOB IN HIS GORGEOUS BALL UNIFORM

A MONOCLE

omg chirp's mask dress......

SQUAK IN ALL WHITE AND A MOLTEN GOLD CAPE

polymorphing attendants into fish is so fucking funny lou

putting a love potion in just a random glass 😭

well now rue and wuvvy matching is making me want to ship them even more

hhhhhhh the tension between them

oh my GOD??? binx's ball outfit???????

scratch 😭😭😭

"i got like six seconds" LMAO META

the mechanics they're using for a PC warlock patron?? so cool

you don't know SCRATCH????

andhera scheming 👀

AABRIA'S BROGUE HHHHH

ANDHERA IS WHEELING AND DEALINGGGG

"so nasty"

HOB SO SLICK

"i thought i was doing something, i wasn't doing anything" lmaooo

THE CHACHA SLIDE

LOU FUCKING WILSON

why is lady chirp featherfowl a catherine o'hara character

KEHGKFJG CHIRP AND RUE this WHOLE conversation is so good

AABRIA BEGGING EMILY TO CLOCK RUEHOB LMAOOOOO

DO YOU THINK THEY CAN SAY GRANDFATHER????? HHHH????

GRANDFATHER'S ALREADY HERE?????

EW GRANDFATHER

every time the scene involves the lords of the wing i lose my mind

OH MY GOD

CAN I HUCK GRABALBA AT GRANDFATHER

hob's impulse 🥺🥺

eeeEEEEEEEE

hhhh going from ruehob to binxhera <333333

"this is a fire" i want to CRY

omg andhera talking to the lords of the wing about the material plane without knowing chirp's situation 🤭

oh my god shit is getting TENSE

[readerbell]

“I can hand you where I will, like a parcel—or a lapdog—and you can do no more than go. Are you sure it does not chafe?”

“From the day I pledged to you, I have ridden where you said ride, even when I thought it foolish, even when I had reason to ride another way…After this, you test me?”

For 20 years Lan has shared Moiraine’s burdens and kept the loneliness at bay. Then out of nowhere a girl walks in and upends their equilibrium. Suddenly, Moiraine is no longer sure she is the pinnacle of Lan’s life. She’s jealous, she feels lonelier than ever, and yet she loves this companion of hers and wants him to find happiness. So she hands over his bond, and magically forces him to live if she dies in the hopes he finds his happiness. It’s a noble version of what Moghedien does to [redacted] later. Moiraine wants Lan to live so he can find happiness. Moghedien forces [redacted] to live so she can suffer forever. Despite their intentions, the end result is the same. They both rob the other person of their agency. Moiraine knows it’s wrong too. It’s why both her letters ask for Lan’s forgiveness.

This is also why I can’t understand people who blame Nynaeve for coming between them, or Lan for never quite forgiving Moiraine for this. I wouldn’t particularly want to be friends with someone who human traffics me either (even if I loved them - as Lan does Moiraine). Why clutch pearls when a certain Arafellan bonds [redacted] against his will if you excuse Moiraine for this?

Even so, I feel so sad for Moiraine. She’s alone once again, and man does she have a lot of pain and suffering ahead of her. 😭